Chicken feeder



0. M. BENNETT. CHICKEN FEEDER. APPLICATION man MAY 9. 1921.

Patented May 23, 1922.

OMBezzfie rra STATES rare CHICKEN FEEDER.

Application filed May 9, 1921.

To all u'i'mm z'tmay concern Be it known that I, OVERTON M. BENNETT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Uniondale, in the county of Susquehanna and State oi" Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Chicken Feeders, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to animal feeding devices, and particularly to chicken feeders.

The general object of the invention is the provision of a feeder of this character designed to contain ordinary feed, water and grit, the feeder being so constructed as to provide means for preventing the little chickens from spilling their feed or contaminating it.

A further object is to provide a device of this character wherein the feed, water and grit is contained within a pan low enough to permit chickens to feed therefrom, this pan being protected on all four sides by a guard formed of transversely extending strips of metal and supported by corner posts of angular metal, the lowermost strip being adjustable so as to control the distance between it and the upper edge of the pan to thus prevent chickens from entering the space between the lowermost strip and the edge of the pan and getting into the feed trough and preventing larger chickens or full grown chickens from inserting their heads into the feeder.

And a further object is to provide a device of this character with a roof formed in two parts and hinged so that the two sections may be opened up to permit the placing the feed or water within the pan or the cleansing of the pan from time to time and prevent the entrance of rain.

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein igure 1 is a perspective view of my improved feeder;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the pan forming the base thereof and of the uprights at the corners of the pan, the roof and guards being removed;

Referring to these drawings, 10 designates the pan proper which, as illustrated, is rec tangular in plan view, and has an upwardly extending rim 11. This pan is divided by vertical partitions into a T-shaped a-vater' Specification of Letters Patent,

Patented May 23, 1922.

Serial No. 457,953.

space 12, two spaces 13 designed to contain grit, and two relatively large spaces 14: designed to contain feed. It will be seen that the water spaces 12 extend all along one end of the feeder and that the opposite end contains a water space and the two grit spaces, wnile the grit spaces, the water spaces and the feed spaces are exposed along the side of the feeder.

At the corners of the pan there are provided the four upwardly extending supporting posts 15 which are preferably made of galvanized metal and angular in cross section. Mounted upon the upper ends of these posts 17 are the upwardly convergent, root sruaporting members 16 which are likewise angular in cross section or otherwise formed so as to secure a maximum ol strength with a minimum of weight, these roof supporting members 16 being connected by a transverse brace 17.

Connecting the upper ends 01" the posis 15 and extending along the sidesot the structure are the strips 18, and hinged to these strips are the root sections 19, one of the sections 19 being so tormed as to overlap the adjacent section 19 and form the ridge of the root. These roof sect-ions preterablv extend outward beyond the hinge 18, as at 20, and this outwardly extending portion of each root section deflected outward and upward o at an angle to the body of the root section so that these sections l9 may be turned up beyond a vertical position and supported in this position by the projecting portions 20.

The posts 15 at a suitable distance above the upper edge of the rim H. are "formed with vertically elongated slots 21, and supported upon these posts 15 immediately above the rim 14 are longitudinally extending, thin, metal strips 22 which are adjust ably held to the posts by bolts 23 passing through the slots 21 and engaged by wing nuts 24. Thus these strips may be adjusted nearer to or further from the rim 14. Above these strips are a plurality of strips 25 which may be permanently attached to the posts 15, these slats or straps being spaced a sufficient distance apart so as to permit light to enter and illuminate the pan, but the strips not being so far apart as to permit chickens to pass between the strips and into the pan.

It will be seen that the structure which I have devised is particularly effective for the purpose of feeding poultry and particularly small chickens or the like. By adjusting the strips or slats downward toward the rim it is possible to prevent any but the smallest chicks from having access to the water feed and grit within the pan or to permit chickens of a larger growth to have such access without permitting full-grown chickens to have the feed therefrom. Furthermoie by adjusting the slats or strips 22 so as to permit the small chicks to insert their heads between the strip or slat and the rim but prevent the bodies of the chicks from passin it is obvious that the chicks cannot get into the pan, become drowned in the water, or contaminate the contents of the pan andavaste the iiood. Of course, the food and the water is prevented from contamination by leaves or dirt and the food from being soaked or rendered unfit by rain. By making the reservoir for water relatively large, which is accomplished by letting it extend the entire length of the pan and entirely across one end oi the pan, a supply of water suflieient for several days may be kept within the pan.

his construction has been found thor oughly effective in use and for the purpose intended. Obviously it may be modified in minor details without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

It will be noted that there are "four strips or slats 22 and by this means the feeder may be used with different sized chickens. In other words, the feeder is to be placed at the juncture of a plurality of runs or yards, each yard or run containing a difterent sized chicken, and the slats on the four sides may be differently adjusted and thus permit the chickens in the particular run for which the slat is adjusted to feed from the feeder.

I claim 1. A poultry feeder of the character de scribed comprising a relatively shallow, rectangular pan having a rim, metallic posts angular in cross section attached to the corners of said rim and projecting upward therefrom, a roof supported on said posts, slats connecting the upper ends of the posts, said posts just above the wall otthe pan be ing vertically slotted. and slats disposed iinmediately above and in spaced relation. the rim o'l the pan, and bolts passing; through said slats and into said posts whereby the slats may be raised or lowered relative to the rim of the pan.

2. In a poultry feeder, a relatively shallow pan having; an upwardly extending marginal rim divided to form a :T-shaped water compartment extending); the full. length 01 the pan and having a width equal to the width of the pan., grit containing compartments disposed opposite to the cross bar of the Tshaped compartment and at the opposite ,end of the pan, ttood compartments disposed between the grit compartments and the Tshaped end of the water compartment, and a superstructure disposed above the pan in spaced relation to the upstanding rim of the pan.

In. testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature.

OVER-TON M. BENNETT. 

